McTeague is an American opera composed by William Bolcom with a libretto by Arnold Weinstein and Robert Altman. The opera is based on a novel of the same name by Frank Norris (written in 1895, published in 1899) which also served as the source material for the Erich von Stroheim film Greed (1924). The piece was written on commission for the Lyric Opera of Chicago and first performed there on October 31, 1992.[1][2]

Roles

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Role Voice type[3] Premiere cast, 31 October 1992[4]
(Conductor: Dennis Russell Davies)
McTeague, an unlicensed dentist in San Francisco tenor Ben Heppner
Maria Miranda Macapa, McTeague's mentally ill cleaning lady mezzo-soprano Emily Golden
Marcus Schouler, a worker in a veterinary hospital and McTeague's friend baritone Timothy Nolen
Trina Sieppe, Marcus Schouler's cousin, later McTeague's wife soprano Catherine Malfitano
Sheriff tenor Patrick Denniston
Papa Sieppe, Trina's father bass-baritone William F. Walker
Mama Sieppe, Trina's mother mezzo-soprano Martha Jane Howe
Owgooste, Trina's younger brother treble John Capone
Lottery Agent/Health Inspector bass Wilbur Pauley
Dentist baritone Victor Benedetti
Waiters, guests, barbershop quartet, sheriff's posse

References

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  1. ^ Rothstein, Edward (22 November 1992). "'McTeague' Just Wants To Be Loved". New York Times. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  2. ^ Christiansen, Richard (25 October 1992). "'McTeague' for Two: Filmmaker Robert Altman teams with composer William Bolcom to create an opera out of a tragic turn-of-the-century tale of greed". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 17 September 2013.
  3. ^ Opera America. McTeague. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
  4. ^ Lyric Opera of Chicago. 1992-1993 Season Performance and Cast Archive. Retrieved 18 September 2013.